When I first loaded up Michael P. Consoli's Against the Wall I felt the early onset of panic. In front of me, stretching out in all four directions was a vertical wall made of blocks of varying sizes.

Behind me there was only sky.

That's how this independent game begins, presenting the player with a simple choice: Up or down? Peering over the edge of the tiny platform I was perched on I saw nothing but bare wall and emptiness. Above me, in the distance, some sort of strange windmill was spinning, jutting out from the wall defiantly.

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The choice really wasn't much of a choice. The moment the game began my every instinct drove me towards that stable platform above, the more firm floor beneath my feet the better.

So I climbed, utilizing the game's unique sliding block mechanics to draw the individual blocks making up the wall from their positions, forming staircases, jumping platforms; anything I needed to get higher. The blocks slid from the walls like drawers in some sort of impossible filing system. Getting caught in front of one meant a fall that demonstrated the infinite nature of the surface. Only by quickly pulling out blocks as I fell could I save myself, and by then stability was even further out of reach.

I restarted, fell some more, and fifteen minutes later took my first steps onto the windmill platform, so stable and reassuring. The feeling of relief was enormous, but I wasn't home yet. I looked up, and began to climb.

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In its current alpha state, Against the Wall is a simple game that evokes powerful, sometimes primal feelings.

The New Jersey-based Consoli wants to improve upon it, adding music, more programmers, and more money, things I hope don't ruin the purity of the experience.

Luckily the alpha build is available for all to play at the link below, so you can see what I just saw. Just try not to look down.